24 Hours in Mississippi's River Region

Summertime in Vicksburg conjures mental images of paddling down lazy rivers, traversing forested trails, and camping along sun-drenched banks; the scenic city with small town charm resides high on a fertile bluff overlooking the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, making it an ideal destination for outdoor adventures.

Avid outdoorsmen will feel right at home in this Mississippi region. Nearby forests filled with wild game like deer, boar, turkey, and rabbit offer an abundance of space to hunt alone or with the assistance of a local outfitter, while the presence of the waterways make for excellent duck hunting.

If you’d rather spend your time out on the water, several lakes and waterways excellent for fishing, casual boating, and birding can be found within an easy drive from Vicksburg's city limits. Anglers can discover the best places to reel in a scale-tipping catch with local help from Blue Cat Guide Service, and paddlers can find canoes and kayaks available for rent at the Quapaw Canoe Company outpost.

In addition to easy access to Mississippi's natural beauty, Vicksburg offers visitors the opportunity to tour the river region in a myriad of ways. Cyclists will be delighted to find several scenic biking trails to ride, including the national Mississippi River Trail. Bring your own bike, or rent one from local mobile bicycle rental company, Battlefield Bicycle. Learn some local history while getting your steps in with the Vicksburg Heritage Walking Trails, which provide five routes for a leisurely city stroll and feature a total of thirty-five markers detailing relevant historical context. Along the way, keep an eye out for Vicksburg's Riverfront Murals, a series of murals painted on the riverfront floodwalls depicting the story of the city. 

If you're short on time or energy, we suggest the driving tour of Vicksburg National Military Park. As you traverse the eighteen-mile road, you'll encounter spectacular views just outside your window of the USS Cairo gunboat, the Siege of Vicksburg battlefield, Vicksburg National Cemetery, Illinois State Memorial, and more than one thousand other Civil War monuments.

An essential byway in the state famous for being the birthplace of the blues, the Mississippi Blues Trail examines the region's contributions to the genre, while the Tamale Trail offers insight on the culinary heritage of the Delta foodways, including two stops in Vicksburg.

All that adventuring is sure to make you hungry, so fill up on classic southern dishes and soul food staples, such as fried chicken and catfish, collard greens, fried okra, and fried green tomatoes. As you can tell, we abide by the belief that everything tastes better when tossed in a little Crisco (This is Mississippi, after all). For all of the resources you need to plan a day trip, weekend getaway, or Vicksburg vacation, head to visitvicksburg.com.